- Mac Suzuki
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Mac Suzuki
マック鈴木
Calgary Vipers — No. 91 Pitcher Born: May 31, 1975
Kobe, Hyōgo, JapanBats: Right Throws: Right Professional debut July 7, 1996 for the Seattle Mariners NPB statistics Win-Loss 5-15 Earned run average 7.82 Strikeouts 130 MLB statistics
(through 2008 Season)Win-Loss 16-31 Earned run average 5.72 Strikeouts 327 Teams Mac Suzuki (マック鈴木, born Makoto Suzuki (鈴木 誠 Suzuki Makoto) May 31, 1975 in Kobe, Japan) is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher who plays for the Calgary Vipers of the Golden League. Over his career, Suzuki had played 18 seasons in professional baseball, including six in Major League Baseball and one in the Japan Pacific League. In his major league career, he has played for the Seattle Mariners (1996, 1998–1999), the Kansas City Royals (1999–2001, 2002), the Colorado Rockies (2001), and the Milwaukee Brewers (2001). With those teams, he has had a combined record of 16–31 with a 5.72 earned run average (ERA), one complete game, one shutout, and 327 strikeouts in 117 games, 67 starts.
Contents
Early life
At the age of 16, Suzuki was sent away from his home by his parents after getting expelled from high school.[1] He then got a job with the Salinas Peppers, an independent baseball club based in Salinas, California.[1] With the Peppers, Suzuki pitched the final game of the season in 1992, after he spent the entire season as their batboy.[1] The next season, Suzuki became a full-time player for the Peppers.[1] Suzuki later stated that his parents were proud of him for learning the English language and how much he matured after he was sent away.[1]
Professional career
Seattle Mariners
Suzuki pitched for the non-affiliated Class-A San Bernardino in 1993, going 4–4 with a 3.68 earned run average (ERA), 12 saves, and 87 strikeouts in 48 games, one start. He led the Spirit in saves that season.[2] Suzuki signed with the Seattle Mariners in 1993, choosing Seattle over a list of suitors including the Toronto Blue Jays.[3] In his first season in affiliated professional baseball in 1994, Suzuki pitched for the Double-A Jacksonville Suns of the Southern League. In eight games, he went 1–0 with a 2.84 ERA, one save, and 10 strikeouts. Suzuki was sidelined that season due to a shoulder injury.[4] After an earthquake hit his home town on Kobe, Japan, Suzuki returned to care for his family during the off-season before the 1995 season.[5] During spring training in 1995, Suzuki was again plagued by shoulder injuries.[6] He split the season between the rookie-league AZL Mariners and the Class-A Advanced Riverside Pilots. In ten combined games in the minors, Suzuki went 1–1 with a 5.40 ERA, and nine strikeouts. Suzuki was promoted to the majors in 1995,[7] however, he did not play. He made his major league debut on July 7, 1996, becoming the third Japanese player to play in the major leagues, after Masanori Murakami and Hideo Nomo, and the first Japanese player to pitch in the American League. He was sent back to the minors shortly afterwards, but marked his first major league win in 1998.
Later career
He was sent briefly to the New York Mets in June, 1999, before being shipped away again to the Kansas City Royals. He won 8 games in 2000, including one shut-out victory. He went to the Colorado Rockies, then to the Milwaukee Brewers, before returning to the Royals again. While playing for the Brewers, it should be noted that he occasionally forgot to cover first base when the play on field dictated that he should. He did not win a game in 2002, and was released by the Royals. He announced his decision to enter the Japanese professional leagues at the end of the season.
According to regulations, Suzuki still needed to be picked in the draft to join a Japanese team. The Yakult Swallows had originally intended to choose him, but the Orix BlueWave forcefully picked Suzuki in the 2nd round, and he ended up joining the Blue Wave. There was debate about whether Suzuki qualified for the Japanese rookie of the year award, since he had already played in the major leagues. The league granted him the qualification, but Suzuki rejected it, perhaps due to his pride as a former major leaguer. In the end, the debate proved meaningless, as Suzuki won only 4 games that year, and in August, 2003, he could not get a single out in a game against the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks, where his team lost 1-29. He pitched horrendously against the Hawks in 2003, giving up 32 runs in only 6 games. In 2004, he started only 5 games (none of which were against the Hawks), all of which he failed to get past the 5th inning. His only win that year came against the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes, where he won despite giving up 5 runs over 5 innings. He did not pitch at all in 2005, and was cut from the team during the off-season. Suzuki returned to the United States, and signed a minor league contract with the Oakland Athletics in December, 2005. He pitched poorly in spring training, and did not make the major league team. He joined a Mexican League team in 2006, and signed a minor league deal with the Chicago Cubs in the 2006 off-season. In 2009 he played for the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs of the independent Atlantic Professional Baseball League. In 2010 he signed with the Calgary Vipers of the Golden Baseball League.
References
- ^ a b c d e Susan Slusser (February 21, 2006). "A's the latest stop on Suzuki's long ride". The San Francisco Chronicle. Hearst Communications Inc. http://articles.sfgate.com/2006-02-21/sports/17282536_1_dominican-republic-japanese-players-santo-domingo. Retrieved July 8, 2010.
- ^ "1993 San Bernardino Spirit". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference, LLC. http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/team.cgi?id=31727. Retrieved July 8, 2010.
- ^ "M's Suzuki will start in Jacksonville". Associated Press. Moscow-Pullman Daily News. March 22, 1994. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=1rwjAAAAIBAJ&sjid=rtAFAAAAIBAJ&pg=6645,2386760&dq=mac+suzuki&hl=en. Retrieved July 8, 2010.
- ^ "Bad Shoulder Sidelines Suzuki". Associated Press. The Spokesman-Review. April 24, 1994. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=RgkSAAAAIBAJ&sjid=sPEDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2118,1331591&dq=mac+suzuki&hl=en. Retrieved July 8, 2010.[dead link]
- ^ Bob Finnigan (February 2, 1995). "M's Looking At Second Pitcher From Japan". The Seattle Times Company. The Seattle Times Company. http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19950202&slug=2102758. Retrieved July 8, 2010.
- ^ Rich Johnson (August 6, 1995). "M's Farm Notebook -- Ramirez Earns Back Confidence". The Seattle Times Company. The Seattle Times Company. http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19950806&slug=2135222. Retrieved July 8, 2010.
- ^ "Mariners promote Suzuki". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. September 9, 1995. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=GoAfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=rnwEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2441,3787672&dq=mac+suzuki&hl=en. Retrieved July 8, 2010.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube
Categories:- 1975 births
- Living people
- Seattle Mariners players
- Kansas City Royals players
- Colorado Rockies players
- Milwaukee Brewers players
- Orix BlueWave players
- Orix Buffaloes players
- Expatriate baseball players in Taiwan
- Japanese baseball players
- La New Bears players
- Major League Baseball pitchers
- Major League Baseball players from Japan
- People from Kobe
- Salinas Spurs players
- San Bernardino Spirit players
- Jacksonville Suns players
- Arizona League Mariners players
- Riverside Pilots players
- Port City Roosters players
- Tacoma Rainiers players
- Wichita Wranglers players
- Omaha Royals players
- Iowa Cubs players
- Toros de Tijuana players
- Dorados de Chihuahua players
- Calgary Vipers players
- Southern Maryland Blue Crabs players
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